On the surface, it’s been a promising start to Xabi Alonso’s first season as Real Madrid coach. Los Blancos have won 81% of their matches so far this term across all competitions. They’re three points clear at the top of La Liga and in the top eight in the Champions League.
The ex-Bayer Leverkusen boss would surely have settled for such a position three months into the campaign. However, there’s still an air of negativity around this team, and a sense that they’re some way off the level needed to conquer Europe for a record-extending 16th time.
Getting the Best Out of Mbappé
One of the biggest shifts when comparing Real Madrid now to the situation at the corresponding stage of last term revolves around Kylian Mbappé.
Under Carlo Ancelotti, the initial policy was to find a way to fit the Frenchman into the existing setup. Early on, Mbappé struggled to express himself, and even when his form picked up in the second half of the 2024/25 season, the attacking balance wasn’t quite right.
📊 Highest % of team goals scored by a single player across Europe’s top five leagues this season:
◉ 61% – Erling Haaland
◉ 50% – Kylian Mbappé
◉ 50% – Vedat Muriqi
◉ 47% – Igor Thiago
◉ 46% – Haris Tabaković pic.twitter.com/JRbKlB1tNg— WhoScored (@WhoScored) November 12, 2025
A year later, this looks much more like a team being built around the 26-year-old. In certain matches, he’s almost entirely carried Real Madrid’s offensive threat, whether that’s running onto crosses and passes from Arda Güler or dropping off to pick up the ball himself and run at opposing defenders.
That dependence on Mbappé, who has already scored 18 goals across all competitions this term, does raise some questions for Alonso. Still, the Basque coach can certainly point to his striker’s stunning form as one of the big positives of his reign so far.
Vinícius Feud an Unwelcome Distraction
There was always a fear that when Mbappé joined Real Madrid, it would have a detrimental impact on Vinícius Júnior. While he’s continued to operate in his preferred role on the left flank this season, the unavoidable reality is that the 2024 Ballon d’Or runner-up is no longer the focal point of this attack.
The Brazilian is now part of the supporting cast in the Mbappé show, and it’s safe to say he’s not happy about it. Twice already he has reacted angrily to being substituted, most notably in a 2-1 El Clásico win in October.
Vini Jr is set to match Kylian Mbappé’s €600,000-a-week salary in his new Real Madrid contract, according to reports pic.twitter.com/L1dkPeie1l
— LiveScore (@livescore) November 12, 2025
While Vinícius later expressed his regrets for those actions, Alonso was notably absent from an apology on social media, one which did address his teammates and supporters, as well as the club president.
The Real Madrid boss has attempted to move on from that episode and has continued to pick the 25-year-old. However, given the player’s volatile nature, it feels like only a matter of time before those tensions boil over again.
Problems Remain in the Biggest Games
Perhaps an even bigger worry for Alonso than the Vinícius saga is his team’s failure to produce their best soccer in the big games. That was a recurring problem for Real Madrid throughout last season under Ancelotti, and it’s clear that the new man has yet to find a cure.
Alonso’s reign started at the Club World Cup in the summer, when Los Blancos were eliminated at the semifinal stage 4-0 by PSG. Their first significant test of La Liga 2025/26 ended in a humiliating 5-2 derby defeat against Atlético Madrid. While Real did get the better of an injury-ravaged Barça last month, they were really poor in a 1-0 defeat in the Champions League away to Liverpool last week.
⚡ WEDNESDAY + INTENSITY pic.twitter.com/EQE6diWFV2
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) November 12, 2025
They failed to match the intensity of the Premier League outfit in that encounter. As was the case in the derby, they also looked vulnerable when defending crosses and set pieces. Meanwhile, with Güler well handled by the Reds’ midfield, they struggled to get much service to their forward players.
How Might Alonso’s Real Madrid Evolve?
It’s clear that Real Madrid have enough individual quality to win most matches in La Liga and potentially even lift the title. However, in terms of competing with the very best teams in Europe, they’re going to need to improve, and these are still very early days in the Alonso project at the Santiago Bernabéu.
We’ve only seen brief glimpses of a back three, his preferred defensive structure in Leverkusen. We may see an evolution towards a 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 system, at least in some fixtures over the winter months. That may be one way to get Trent Alexander-Arnold into the lineup, with the Englishman potentially a useful addition to a side that currently looks a bit short on creativity from deep areas.
1️⃣2️⃣ @TrentAA pic.twitter.com/3zQitTDXt7
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) November 12, 2025
Alonso also needs to figure out the best roles for Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde. The former has shown flashes of his best form in recent weeks, but Valverde hasn’t been that effective, with the Uruguayan often used as an emergency right-back.
Real Madrid rarely do much transfer business in January, but an extra central defensive addition might be high on Alonso’s list of priorities. However, it may take at least another two windows before he can really stamp his mark on this squad, with a number of out-of-favor players also likely to be moved on.
